Mail-bag-transfer device.



W. J. RHOADS. MAILBAG TRANSFER DEViCE.

APPLICATION HLED APR. 21. 1916. 1,%4,3'?2. Emma Oct 23,1917.

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W. I. RHOADS.

MAIL BAG TRANSFER DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21. 1916. u 1,244,372. Patented Oct. 23,1917.

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W. l. RHOADS.

MAlL BAG TRANSFER DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2. 1916. 1,244,373., Patented Oct. 28,1917

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"WI LLIAM J. senses, or christian, riaivns'Y'LvAnIA.

aML-smmmsma DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

- Beit known that 1, WILLIAM J. RHoAns, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chester, Delaware county,State of Pennsylvania, have invented Mail-Bag-Transfer'Device, of which 'thefollowing is a specification.

One object'of my invention is to provide arelativel'ysimple, reliable and convenient device for transferring a mail pouch'froma IHOVlIlQ car to a relatively stationary receivingdevice, the invention contemplating an arrangement of parts Which shall be applicable to apparatus now in use with a minimum of expense and inconvenience. I

, I further desire to provide novel form of mail bag 'ho'lder particularly adapted for usein the door of a mail car and which, Whilebeing, capable of projection outside a of said car When a mail bagzis to be delivered therefrom, may. be easily removed or if desired swung completely into said car so as to permitof the easyplacing ofthe bag on its arms ready fo'r delivery.

It is also desired to provide'a mail bag delivery device which shall include two arms'designed to be rotatably mounted in the door of a mail car and so arranged that one of them maybe easily removed or 'detached When not required for use; theconstruction being such as to permit of the car door being closed when desired.

Another object of my invention is to provide anovel device for satisfactorily receiv- .ing a mail bag from a delivery device on a moving car, which, in addition to being simple and substantial in construction. shall be of such a nature as to reduce the likelihood of injury to the contents of the bag or danger of bystanders being struck by the bag.

These objects and other advantageous ends I secure as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in Which,: o I,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion cit-a car shovving thebag supporting and collecting device constituting a part of my invention, with the device for-receiving abag from ,s'aidj'car and the bag supporting structure fo -delivering a second bag to a deviceonthecany ,Fig. Z'i -a vertical section illi'istrating certainof the detail featuresof part of my invention; a -i :7,

F igs'. '3 and A are'respectivelyfrontand specification of t daisratnt.

,are fastened sleeve to. provide cent instance I have shown the jln the sleevelQ by a set screw Which may be provided Without post or standard 14: and

Feaaaaa one 23', 1917.

Application filed April 21,1916. serial No. 92,696.

side elevations of. the connection between one, of the bag supporting arms andthe pivot; bar; 4

Figs. 5'andq6' are respectively a side and aifront elevation of one of the bag retaining c ips; a

F igs. .7 and 8. are respectively a plan and an elevation both partly insection, illustrating a modification of my invention; and Fig.9 is :a, perspective of the supporting bracket of Figs. 7 and 8.

VIn the above drawings 1 represents a'portion of one side of a mail car having a doorway 2,: on the vertical edges ofvvhich apair of bearing brackets 3 and'et in which is rotatablymounted a horizontally extendingpivot bar 5 preferably of the construction commonly in use. Rigi'dly attached to this pivot bar byany suitable means, :is a sleeve 6 having .a projecting handle 7 opposite which it has fixed to it a bag" catching arm 8. T This arm is preferably bent to the reara shortdistance from the abag catching hook or recess 9'and in the present instance its outer end is provided With a rearwardly projecting'bag holding clip 10. 7

i'Also fixed to the: bar 5 is a second sleeve l2 from Which an arm 11 extends down wa'rdly and outwardly, there being another bag holding clip 13 on its extremity Which is so situated that a mail bag :0 may be suspended between this and the clip 10, in a more or less tensed condition. Iii-the presarm as held actuated by hand, although obviously, any other means for coupling these parts may be departing from my in: vention. Y

t each of, the various points at which mail bags are tobe' delivered'along therailroadwhosemail cars are equipped with the apparatus justdescribed, I erect a suitable part a. bag-receiving arm 15 by means of'a' horizontally extending pivot bolt 16, i The arm is normally held in a substantially verticalypositionbyrmeans of a Weightl? fixed tofits loWeri end-and its portion above the pivot is connected to one side of a rear- Warclly opening, Ur-shaped bag catcherior receiver 18. Obviously the post 14 is mount- "ed; at such a distance, from thepath of a mail bag m carried by the arms 8 andll attach to its upper ordinary type or of any other when these are properly extended, that said bag will enter the receiver 18, which hes in a horizontal plane passing through or immediately adjacent the center of said bag, and in order to insure the retention of the latter 1 preferably provide said receiver or catcher with retaining springs 19, each of which has one end connected to the extremity of one of the branches of the fork while the other end terminates adjacent its bottom or most forward portion. This spring is preferably so bent as to provide a rounded edge, narrow, tapering but relatively yielding throat through which a bag is guided intothe forward larger portion of the catcher, and in which such bag is effectually held from rebound or accidental dislodgement.

A stationary bag holding post 2-0 of the suitable construction may also be mounted adjacent the path of the moving car and be provided 'with projecting arms 21 and 22 whereby a bag to be taken into the car is suspended in a substantially vertical position so that it ill be engaged by the U-shaped portion 9 of the arm 8 when this latter is turned into a horizontal plane outside of the car.

Nhenit is desired to mount a mail bag on the arms 8 and 11 ready for delivery, the latter, by means of the handle '7, are swung into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 so that they extend within the car, at about the height of the operators shoulder. In this position a mail bag my be readily mounted on the clips and 13 so as to be held between them in the desired position, after which, as the car approaches a mail receiving station, said arms with the bag are swung down and outwardly into the positions shown in Fig.1. In order to limit their movement and prevent the possibility of their being raised above the desired height outside of the car, I preferably mount on t-hepivot bath a relatively stout projecting pin or stop 23 and so form one end of the bearing br acket 1 that it provides a shoulder '24: placed to be engaged by said stop when the arms have been swung up outside of the car into the positions necessary to bring the mail bag into the line of the jaws of the catcher 18. Even though the car be moving at a high rate of speed, the bag, after being guided into said catcher is drawn out of engagement with the clips. 110 and 13 of thearms 8 energy of its movement is absorbed by the and 11 and the weight so that the arm 15 is turned on its pivot through a greater or less angle after receiving said bag and may be even caused to rotate. If a second bag so is to be taken in by the car, the'arms are held by the op erator in'their extended or raised positions so that such bag, held by the arms 21 and 22, enters the receiving portion 9 of the arm unease e 8, from which it is removed in thecustomary manner.

lVhen not in use the arms 8 and 11 are allowed to swing down and if desired the latter arm, which would extend into the car, may be removed. The movable door 25 may if desired be provided with a slot 26 (Fi 1) designed to receive the projecting portion 12 to which the arm 11 is connected, in order that said door may be closed when the device is not in use. 7

From the above description it will be noted that my invention may be applied to the well known mail bag-receiving apparatus coinmonlyin'use with but little modification of its present construction, while the stationary structures designed to receive mail bags are'of substantial, simple and inexpensive design, easily installed and maintained in operative condition.

in that form of my invention shown in 7 to 9 inclusive 1 mount the structure for suspending a mail bag beyond the side of amoving car, upon a bracket 30 fixed to one the door j ambs preferably in such position as not to interfere with the ordinary working of the door. This bracket is formed with a vertical pivot 3-5. for a second bracket 30 and this in turn has an outwardly extending horizontal pivot 31 perforated adjacent its end for the reception of a cotter pin 32 whereby a bag-supporting structure is removablv held in position while being free to oscillate on said pivot as a horizontal axis.

The bag holding structure which is rotatably mounted on the pivot 31 consists of an upper arm 8 provided with a curved bag-receiving portion a -as well as with a suitable clip 10 for engagingione end ofa mail bag or pouch. Said portion 9 is formed with a spring retaining member which like't-he springs 19 presents a curved edge to a bag to be engaged so 'as to avoid danger of cutting the same. In the present instance formed integral with the arm S is a downwardly extending portion 33 from which projects a second arm 11 lying in a plane. substantially parallel to that of the outer part of the arms and like it provided at its outer end with a bag engaging clip 13. The member 33 is extended downwardly below the point of attachment of the arm 11 and terminates in a weight 3% which when the bag is suspended ready-fendelivery, hangs adjacent the door'jamb 1 on which the bracket 30 is mounted. I

This bracket 30, in'addition'to'the pivot bracket 30 has a cylindrically curved recess to designed to engagethe correspond ingly curved surface of the hub 38which its on the spindle 31. A braking lever 37 also pivoted to the bracket 30 has a concave end likewise formed to coact with the hub 38 and it includes a rearwardly extending arm- 41 designed to coact with a lug 39 on the bracket 30 so that this with the structure 33-1l= may be swung on the pivot 35 into the car.

Under conditions of use a mail bag at is mounted upon the arms 8 and 11 within the car and thereafter the structure as a whole with said bag is swung outwardly upon the Fig. 8. The mail bag may then be delivered to the stationary receiving apparatus along the track as previously described.

When it is. desired to collect a mail bag from a suspending device along the track, the operator exerts an outward pressure upon the handle or lever 36 so that the energy developed by the stationary bag striking the rapidly moving arm structure 8 is absorbed partly in turning the structure 33 and 11 with the weight 34: upon the pivot 31, and partly by the friction or braking action of the arm 37 on the hub 38.

I claim V 1. A mail bag receiving device consisting of a supportin structure including a horizontal pivot; a bag catching arm mounted to turn on said pivot; with a weight on the arm normally holding it in a substantially vertical position with its hook in a horizontal plane.

2. A mail bag receiving device consisting of a supporting structure including a horizontal pivot; a substantially U-shaped bag engaging member carried by said arm; and a weight normally retaining said arm with the member in a bag receiving position and opposing movement of the arm under the action of a bag.

3. The combination of a supporting structure; an arm mounted thereon and free to turn on a substantially horizontal axis; a substantially U-shaped bag receiving member carried by the arm; and a depending weight normally retaining said arm in an elevated position with the bag receiving member in a substantially horizontal plane ready to receive a bag.

4. The combination of a supporting structure; an arm mounted thereon and free'to' turn on a substantially horizontal axis; a substantially U-shaped bag receiving member carried by the arm; with a weight nor mally retaining said member in a substantially horizontal plane ready to receive a pivot 35 into the position shown in i bag and acting to oppose movement of the arm and bag receiving member.

5. The combination of a supporting structure; a bearing thereon; a spindle carried by said bearing so as to extend in a horizontal line; an arm extending downwardly from said spindle; a weight on the lower end of said arm; a branch arm projecting from said arm; a second arm extending upwardly from the spindle and thereafter projected outwardly for a distance substantially the same as that of the branch arm; with mail bag supporting devices carried by said two latter arms,

6. The combination of asupporting structure; a horizontal spindle mounted thereon; an arm extending upwardly from said spindle and then projected outwardly; a substantially U-shaped bag catching structure having one of its sides connected to said arm and its other side projected outwardly; a second arm extending down from said spindle and having a branch projecting for substantially the same distance as the outer member of the bag catching structure; with a weight tending to retain said arms in a position one over the other.

7. The combination of a supporting structure; a vertical pivot carried thereby; a bracket rotatably mounted on said pivot andincluding a horizontal spindle; a hub mounted on the spindle; a downwardly extending laterally projected arm on said hub; a weight on the lower portion of said arm; and an arm extending upwardly from the hub and having a laterally projecting portion formed to cooperate with the projecting portion of the first arm to support a mail bag. I

8. The combination of a supporting structure; a vertical pivot carried thereby; a bracket rotatably mounted on said pivot and including a horizontal spindle; a hub mount ed on the spindle; a downwardly extending laterally projected arm on said hub; a weight on the lower portion of said arm; an arm extending upwardly from the hub and having a formed to cooperate with the projecting portion of the first arm to support a mail bag; with a brake operative on the hub to retard rotation thereof on the spindle.

WILLIAM J. RHOADS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

laterally projecting portion 

